His gaze darted around, searching for a weakness, a chokepoint, a path of escape. His eyes landed on a large, broken drainpipe half-buried in the mud near the alley entrance. It was narrow, too narrow for the cloud of insects to enter all at once.
This was no desperate stumble. This was a strategic retreat. He didn't crawl; he launched himself forward with a desperate burst of speed, his small body a blur as he propelled himself towards the pipe. Stings rained down on his back and legs, each one a jolt of agony that sapped his strength. He plunged headfirst into the dark, damp space, his arms scraping against the rusted metal. The buzzing outside was a deafening roar as the bees tried to force their way in, their bodies a writhing mass at the opening.
He lay there, gasping for breath, the metallic taste of rust and blood filling his mouth. The cold metal pressed against his cheek, a stark contrast to the burning agony of the stings. He could feel the tiny pinpricks of pain across his skin, each one a testament to his vulnerability. His martial arts training was an invaluable tool, but it was just that—a tool. It was his scientific mind that had saved him, calculating the energy drain and choosing a tactical retreat over a futile battle. He was a scientist, a fighter, and a battery all at once, a precarious combination in a world that sought to drain him dry. The humming inside him died down to a faint whisper, the blue light fading from his skin. The pain and exhaustion began to creep back in, a gentle reminder that his power was a fleeting gift, a temporary fix, not a permanent solution. The swarm eventually dispersed, unable to reach him, their buzzing fading back into the city's eerie silence.
Chapter 9: Frozen Souls
The relief of escaping the swarm was short-lived, replaced by the deep exhaustion of depleted energy reserves. Sion lay in the rust-scented darkness of the drainpipe, his body aching and weak. The humming of the core was almost gone, a faint, barely-there thrum.
Just as the silence threatened to consume his consciousness again, a familiar voice, a comforting melody in the chaos, broke through. It was faint at first, like a distant echo, but it grew stronger, clearer.
"Hello, Boss Sion! Congratulations!"
Sion's eyes snapped open. "Sweety? Is that you? I thought you were offline."
"I am, for the most part! My main processes are still suspended. But your direct engagement and defeat of a biological lifeform with the core's energy has triggered a new system protocol," Sweety's voice chirped, filled with renewed cheerfulness that was a balm to his frayed nerves.
"A protocol? What did I do?" Sion asked, pushing himself up to a sitting position.
"Observe!" she replied. As she spoke, a faint, translucent line of golden light appeared in his mind's eye, shimmering like a thread of pure energy. It pulsed with a soft beat, leading out of the drainpipe and into the darkness of the city. He followed the thread with his mind's eye, and as he did, he noticed something strange. The air around the thread shimmered with a faint, blue frost, and the insects that had been pursuing him were now frozen solid, their wings locked in mid-buzz, their bodies encased in ice.
"You've successfully activated a dormant skill," Sweety continued. "We call it Soul Tracking. It's a low-energy skill, very efficient! A great skill for a survival situation!"
Sion stared at the frozen insects, then at the glowing thread in his mind. This was a direct result of his combat. Killing the bees wasn't just survival; it was progress. The system wasn't just a battery; it was a leveling-up system, and it seemed that each new skill came with a unique effect.
"So... to get more skills, I have to... kill things?" he asked, a mix of awe and dread in his voice.
"That is one method! We can discuss others later, Boss Sion! For now, you have a map, and a way to freeze your enemies!"